Mobile terminal

ABSTRACT

A mobile terminal includes a wireless communication unit for collecting external information or transmitting recommended operation information to a home appliance, and a controller for generating the recommended operation information for the home appliance based on the collected external information. The mobile terminal may provide customized recommended operation information for each home appliance without separately including a device for controlling one or more home appliances provided in a home.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No.10-2009-0041005, filed on May 11, 2009, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal that providesrecommended operation information for a home appliance.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, home network technologies have been developed. A home networksignifies a network in which a variety of home appliances areinterconnected to enable the user to enjoy a convenient, safe andeconomical life service at any time inside and outside of a home. Withthe advance of digital signal processing technologies, refrigerators,washing machines, etc. have been gradually digitized, home applianceoperating system technologies and high-speed multimedia communicationtechnologies have been intensively deployed on digital home appliances,and a new type of information home appliance has appeared. Therefore,the home network has been developed still further.

A home network system constructed in a home includes a master devicethat is an electric appliance capable of controlling the operation ofeach home appliance or monitoring the state thereof, and one or morehome appliances each having a function of responding to a request fromthe master device and a function of notifying information about avariation in the state thereof.

However, the construction of the above-mentioned home network systemencounters a problem that a separate master device capable ofcontrolling the operation of each home appliance or monitoring the statethereof must be provided separately.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the aboveproblems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide amobile terminal which is capable of providing customized recommendedoperation information for each home appliance without separatelyincluding a device for controlling each home appliance.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobileterminal which is capable of providing information about foods stored ina refrigerator among home appliances.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mobileterminal which is capable of selectively controlling any one of aplurality of home appliances.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above andother objects can be accomplished by the provision of a mobile terminalincluding a wireless communication unit for collecting externalinformation or transmitting recommended operation information to a homeappliance, and a controller for generating the recommended operationinformation for the home appliance based on the collected externalinformation.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a mobile terminal including a camera unit for collecting imagesof foods stored in a refrigerator, a controller for generatinginformation about the foods stored in the refrigerator based on externalinformation including the collected images, and a display unit fordisplaying the generated food information on a screen.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a mobile terminal including a display unit for displaying ahome appliance selection picture including a plurality of home applianceimages, and a controller for controlling the display unit to rotate thehome appliance images when a specific one of the home appliance imagesis selected, and display the specific home appliance image selectedafter the rotation distinguishably from the other home appliance imageswhen the specific home appliance image is selected after the rotation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of thepresent invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a home appliance control system using amobile terminal according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a home appliance selection pictureaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating recommended operation informationgeneration conditions preset in a mobile terminal when a home applianceis an air conditioner;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating recommended operation informationgeneration conditions preset in a mobile terminal when a home applianceis a washing machine;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a control methodusing a mobile terminal when a home appliance is a refrigerator,according to the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of the controlmethod using the mobile terminal when the home appliance is therefrigerator, according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. It is to benoted that the suffixes of constituent elements used in the followingdescription, such as “module” and “unit”, are simply used by consideringthe ease of writing this specification, but do not have any particularimportance or role. Accordingly, the terms “module” and “unit” can beused interchangeably.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a home appliance control system using amobile terminal according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the home appliance control system using the mobileterminal according to the present invention includes the mobileterminal, denoted by reference numeral 200, a first home appliance (forexample, an air conditioner) 110, a second home appliance (for example,a washing machine) 120, a third home appliance (for example, arefrigerator) 130, and a fourth home appliance (for example, a stereo)140.

The mobile terminal 200 includes a storage unit for storing conditionsset for each of one or more home appliances 110, 120, 130 and 140provided in a home, a wireless communication unit for receiving externalinformation, a controller for generating recommended operationinformation for each home appliance with reference to the externalinformation, and a short-range wireless communication unit fortransmitting the generated recommended operation information to eachhome appliance.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the mobile terminal 200 according to the presentinvention may include a wireless communication unit 210, an audio/video(A/V) input unit 220, a manipulating unit 230, a sensing unit 240, anoutput unit 250, a storage unit 260, an interface unit 270, a controller280, and a power supply 290. If necessary, when implemented in actualapplications, two or more of these constituent elements may be combinedinto one constituent element or one thereof may be subdivided into twoor more constituent elements.

The wireless communication unit 210 may include a mobile communicationmodule 211, a wireless Internet module 213, a short-range communicationmodule 215, and a global position system (GPS) module 217.

The mobile communication module 211 transmits/receives radio signalsto/from at least one of a base station, an external terminal and aserver over a mobile communication network. The radio signals mayinclude a voice call signal, a video telephony call signal or variousforms of data based on text/multimedia message transmission/reception.

The wireless Internet module 213 refers to a module for wirelessInternet access. This module may be installed inside or outside of themobile terminal 200.

The wireless Internet module 213 may receive external informationincluding at least one of weather information, time information, seasoninformation, resident information, humidity information and temperatureinformation.

Also, the wireless Internet module 213 may download recommendedoperation information generation conditions to be stored in the storageunit 260.

The short-range communication module 215 refers to a module forshort-range communication. For example, short-range communicationtechnologies may include Bluetooth, radio frequency identification(RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), ultra wideband (UWB), andZigBee.

Also, the short-range communication module 215 may receive stateinformation from each home appliance in a home using, for example,Bluetooth. For example, state information from a refrigerator mayinclude at least one of an expiration date of a food, a storage periodof the food, a freezing chamber temperature, a refrigerating chambertemperature, an outdoor air temperature, door opening/closinginformation, operation diagnosis information, and an error content.

In addition, the short-range communication module 215 may transmitrecommended operation information generated by the controller 280 to acorresponding home appliance using, for example, Bluetooth.

The global position system (GPS) module 217 receives locationinformation from a plurality of GPS satellites.

The A/V input unit 220 is configured to input an audio signal or videosignal. The A/V input unit 220 may include a camera module 221 and amicrophone module 223.

The camera module 221 processes frames of a still image or moving imageacquired by an image sensor in a video call mode or image capture mode.The processed image frames may be displayed on a display unit 251.

The image frames processed by the camera module 221 may be stored in thestorage unit 260 or externally transmitted via the wirelesscommunication unit 210. Two or more camera modules 221 may be provideddepending on embodiments of the configuration of the terminal.

Also, images of foods stored in a refrigerator may be acquired throughthe camera module 221. Also, images of laundry put in a washing machinemay be acquired through the camera module 221. Also, information aboutthe number, locations, motions, etc. of residents may be acquiredthrough the camera module 221.

The microphone module 223 receives an external sound signal through amicrophone in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode,or the like and processes the received sound signal to convert it intoelectrical audio data. In the call mode, the converted audio data may beconverted into that of a format transmittable to a mobile communicationbase station through the mobile communication module 211 and thenoutputted to the mobile communication base station. Various noiseremoval algorithms may be employed in the microphone module 223 toremove noise generated in the course of receiving the external soundsignal.

The manipulating unit 230 generates key input data that the user inputsto control the operation of the terminal. The manipulating unit 230 mayinclude a key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad (staticpressure/capacitance), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and a finger mouse.

In particular, the touch pad and the display unit 251 to be describedlater may constitute a layered structure, which may be called a touchscreen.

That is, the manipulating unit 230 may input control conditions to bestored in the storage unit 260 by the control of the operation of theterminal by the user.

The sensing unit 240 senses the current state of the mobile terminal200, such as the open/closed state of the mobile terminal 200, thelocation of the mobile terminal 200 or the presence or absence of usercontact with the mobile terminal 200, and generates a sense signal forcontrol of the operation of the mobile terminal 200 as a result of thesensing. For example, in the case where the mobile terminal 200 is aslide phone, the sensing unit 240 may sense whether the slide phone isopen or closed.

In addition, the sensing unit 240 may perform a sensing functionassociated with whether the power supply 290 supplies power or whetherthe interface unit 270 is coupled with an external device.

The output unit 250 is provided to output an audio signal, a videosignal or an alarm signal. To this end, the output unit 250 may includethe display unit 251, an audio output module 253, and an alarm outputmodule 255.

The display unit 251 displays and outputs information processed in themobile terminal 200. For example, when the mobile terminal 200 is in thecall mode, the display unit 251 may display a user interface (UI) orgraphic user interface (GUI) associated with a call. When the mobileterminal 200 is in the video call mode or image capture mode, thedisplay unit 251 may display captured or received images, respectivelyor simultaneously, and also displays a UI or GUI.

On the other hand, in the case where the display unit 151 and the touchpad are layered to constitute the touch screen as stated above, thedisplay unit 251 may also be used as an input device as well as anoutput device. The display unit 251 may include at least one of a liquidcrystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, anorganic light-emitting diode display, a flexible display and athree-dimensional (3D) display. The mobile terminal 200 may include twoor more display units 251 according to its desired implementation.

The audio output module 253 outputs audio data received from thewireless communication unit 210 or stored in the storage unit 260 in acall signal reception mode, a call mode, a recording mode, a voicerecognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, or the like. The audiooutput module 253 also outputs sound signals related to particularfunctions performed by the mobile terminal 200, for example, a callsignal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc. This audiooutput module 253 may include a speaker and a buzzer.

The alarm output module 255 outputs a signal to notify the user ofoccurrence of an event in the mobile terminal 200. The event occurringin the mobile terminal 200 may be, for example, call signal reception,message reception or key signal input. The alarm output module 255 mayalso output a signal in any form other than an audio signal or videosignal to notify the user of occurrence of an event in the mobileterminal 200. For example, the alarm output module 255 may output asignal in the form of a vibration. When a call signal is received orwhen a message is received, the alarm output module 255 may output avibration to notify the user of such a situation. Alternatively, when akey signal is inputted, the alarm output module 255 may output avibration as a feedback for the key signal input. This vibration outputmay enable the user to recognize occurrence of an event. Of course, thesignal for event occurrence notification may also be outputted throughthe display unit 251 or audio output module 253.

The storage unit 260 may store programs for processing and control ofthe controller 280 and may also function to temporarily storeinput/output data.

The storage unit 260 may include at least one type of storage mediaincluding a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card microtype, a card type memory (for example, an SD or XD memory), a randomaccess memory (RAM), and a read-only memory (ROM). The mobile terminal200 may also manage a Web storage that performs the storage function ofthe storage unit 260 on the Internet.

The interface unit 270 acts as an interface between the mobile terminal200 and all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 200. Theexternal devices connected to the mobile terminal 200 may include, forexample, a wired/wireless headset, an external charger, a wired/wirelessdata port, a memory card socket, a SIM/UIM card socket, an audioinput/output (I/O) terminal, a video I/O terminal, and an earphone. Theinterface unit 270 may receive data transmitted from the externaldevices and transfer the received data or power to each internalcomponent of the mobile terminal 200 or transmit internal data of themobile terminal 200 to the external devices.

The controller 280 typically controls the operation of each of theabove-stated components of the mobile terminal 200, so as to control theoverall operation of the mobile terminal 200. For example, thecontroller 280 may perform control and processing associated with avoice call, data communication, and a video call.

Also, the controller 280 generates recommended operation information foreach home appliance based on collected external information.

At this time, the controller 280 may collect the external informationthrough the wireless Internet module 213 and generate the recommendedoperation information based on the collected external information.

On the other hand, the controller 280 may generate the recommendedoperation information based on external information inputted by the useror prestored in the mobile terminal 200. At this time, the externalinformation may include at least one of weather information, timeinformation, season information, resident information, humidityinformation and temperature information and be prestored in, forexample, a tabular database. For example, the external information maybe set from midnight to six AM at night.

Meanwhile, the recommended operation information may not only begenerated by the mobile terminal 200, but also be generated by awireless Internet server and provided to the mobile terminal 200.

Also, the controller 280 may generate information about foods stored ina refrigerator based on external information including images of thefoods. The food information may include at least one of an image, name,current date, storage date, elapsed period, expiration date and barcodeinformation of a selected one of the foods stored in the refrigerator.

The display unit 251 may display the recommended operation informationor display the food information.

For example, in the case where a home appliance is an air conditioner,the controller 280 may generate recommended operation information toallow the air conditioner to perform a centralized operation ordistributed operation, based on resident information including at leastone of the number of residents and the location and motion of eachresident, as external information. Also, the controller 280 may collectindoor humidity information as external information and generaterecommended operation information to allow the air conditioner toperform a dehumidifying operation, based on the collected indoorhumidity information. Also, the controller 280 may collect timeinformation as external information and generate recommended operationinformation to allow the air conditioner to perform a sleep operation ata specific time, based on the collected time information. Also, thecontroller 280 may collect indoor temperature information as externalinformation and generate recommended operation information to allow theair conditioner to perform a low power consumption operation dependingon an indoor temperature, based on the collected indoor temperatureinformation.

For another example, in the case where a home appliance is a washingmachine, the controller 280 may collect current humidity information asexternal information and generate recommended operation information toallow the washing machine to adjust the level of dryness thereof, basedon the collected current humidity information. Also, the controller 280may collect current temperature information as external information andgenerate recommended operation information to allow the washing machineto adjust the level of dryness thereof, based on the collected currenttemperature information. Also, the controller 280 may generaterecommended operation information to allow the washing machine to adjustthe level of noise thereof, with reference to time information. Also,the controller 280 may generate recommended operation information toallow the washing machine to perform a low power consumption operation,with reference to season information.

As another example, in the case where a home appliance is arefrigerator, the controller 280 may preset an expiration date of aspecific food to be stored in the refrigerator according to the user'ssetting and output an expiration date notification message through thedisplay unit 251 or other output modules of the output unit 250 when theexpiration date is reached.

Also, for example, in the case where a home appliance is a refrigerator,the controller 280 may receive state information including dooropening/closing information from the refrigerator at a set period, checka door opening/closing history for a set period of time, and transmit anotification message to a preset different mobile terminal when thechecking result indicates that there is no door opening/closing for theset time period.

Also, for example, in the case where a home appliance is a refrigerator,the controller 280 may generate recommended operation information forthe refrigerator based on external information including at least one ofweather information, time information, season information, outdoortemperature information, indoor temperature information and indoorhumidity information.

The power supply 290, under the control of the controller 280, receivesexternal power or internal power and supplies power necessary for theoperation of each constituent element.

The constituent elements of the mobile terminal related to the presentinvention have been described in terms of the functionality of themobile terminal. Hereinafter, the constituent elements of the mobileterminal related to the present invention will be described in detail interms of the outer appearance of the mobile terminal with reference toFIG. 3. For convenience of description, in the following description, itwill be assumed that the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal of a bartype including a front touch screen, among mobile terminals of varioustypes including a folder type, the bar type, a swing type and a slidetype. However, it will be understood that the present invention is notlimited to the bar type mobile terminal, but may be applied to mobileterminals of all types including the aforementioned types.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to oneembodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, a caseconstituting the outer appearance of the mobile terminal 200 is formedby a front case and a rear case. A variety of electronic components arebuilt in a space defined by the front case and the rear case. At leastone intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the frontcase and the rear case.

The display unit 251, the audio output module 253, the camera module221, and a first manipulating unit 230 a may be disposed in a body, moreparticularly the front case. A second manipulating unit 230 b, a thirdmanipulating unit 230 c, and the microphone module 223 may be disposedon side surfaces of the rear case.

The display unit 251 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), anorganic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, or the like to visuallyexpress information. A touch pad may be overlaid on the display unit 251in a layered manner, so that the display unit 251 may operate as a touchscreen to enable the input of information by the user's touch.

The audio output module 253 may be implemented in the form of a receiveror speaker.

The camera module 221 may be implemented appropriately to capture animage of the user or the like or a moving image. The microphone module223 may be implemented in an appropriate form to input the user's voiceor other sounds.

The first to third manipulating units 230 a, 230 b and 230 c may becollectively referred to as a ‘manipulating portion’, which is themanipulating unit 230, and may adopt any method as long as it has atactile manner that allows the user to manipulate the manipulating units230 a, 230 b and 230 c while receiving tactile feedback.

For example, the manipulating unit 230 may be implemented with a domeswitch or touch pad that can input a command or information by theuser's pushing or touching or implemented in a wheel or jog scheme inwhich a key is rotated or in a joystick scheme. In terms offunctionality, the first manipulating unit 230 a may input commands suchas START, END and SEND, and the second manipulating unit 230 b may inputoperation mode selection, etc. The third manipulating unit 230 c mayoperate as a hot-key to activate a special function in the mobileterminal 200.

The mobile terminal described in this specification may include, forexample, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a notebook computer, a digitalbroadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portablemultimedia player (PMP), or the like.

FIG. 4 illustrates a home appliance selection picture according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, a home appliance selection picture 400 according tothe present invention includes a first home appliance image 402, asecond home appliance image 404, a third home appliance image 406, and afourth home appliance image 408.

The mobile terminal according to the present invention may display ahome appliance selection picture including a plurality of home applianceimages, rotate the home appliance images when a specific one of the homeappliance images is selected, and display the specific home applianceimage selected after the rotation distinguishably from the other homeappliance images when the specific home appliance image is selectedafter the rotation.

At this time, the home appliance image selected after the rotation maybe enlarged and displayed.

For example, the mobile terminal according to the present invention mayrotate the home appliance images elliptically when the user selects aspecific one of the home appliance images through the home applianceselection picture 400, and determine that the specific home appliancehas been finally selected when the user re-selects the selected homeappliance image.

FIG. 5 illustrates recommended operation information generationconditions preset in a mobile terminal when a home appliance is an airconditioner.

Referring to FIG. 5, the mobile terminal according to the presentinvention allows the air conditioner to perform a centralized operationor distributed operation, with reference to the number, locations,motions, etc. of residents. At this time, the mobile terminal mayacquire information about the number, locations, motions, etc. ofresidents by receiving image information collected by a camera moduleprovided in the air conditioner. Alternatively, information about thenumber, locations, motions, etc. of residents may be acquired by thecamera module provided in the mobile terminal.

Also, the mobile terminal according to the present invention allows theair conditioner to perform a dehumidifying operation, for example, in arainy season, with reference to an indoor humidity.

Also, the mobile terminal according to the present invention allows theair conditioner to perform a sleep operation at a specific time, forexample, at a preset time of night.

Also, the mobile terminal according to the present invention allows theair conditioner to perform an air-conditioningitis avoidance operationin a specific season, for example, in a preset period of midsummer.

Also, the mobile terminal according to the present invention allows theair conditioner to perform a low power consumption operation when anoutdoor temperature is a preset low temperature.

On the other hand, the mobile terminal according to the presentinvention receives an indoor temperature from the air conditioner,receives an outdoor temperature through the wireless Internet module,and allows the air conditioner to perform a temperature controloperation to make the difference between the indoor temperature and theoutdoor temperature less than or equal to a preset value.

FIG. 6 illustrates recommended operation information generationconditions preset in a mobile terminal when a home appliance is awashing machine.

Referring to FIG. 6, the mobile terminal according to the presentinvention allows the washing machine to adjust the level of drynessthereof to high spin-dry in a preset period of rainy season or winter.

Also, the mobile terminal according to the present invention allows thewashing machine to perform a low-noise spin-dry operation at a presettime of night.

Also, the mobile terminal according to the present invention allows thewashing machine to perform a low power consumption operation in a presetperiod of summer.

On the other hand, the mobile terminal according to the presentinvention receives images of laundry put in the washing machine,collected by a camera module provided in the washing machine, determinesthe amount of the laundry, the quality of the laundry, the level ofwater in the washing machine, etc. based on the received images, andallows the washing machine to be controlled based on the determinedlaundry amount, laundry quality, water level, etc. Alternatively, imagesof laundry put in the washing machine may be acquired by the cameramodule provided in the mobile terminal.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a control methodusing a mobile terminal when a home appliance is a refrigerator,according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the mobile terminal according to the presentinvention captures an image of a food to be stored in the refrigeratorusing the camera module and stores the captured image in the storageunit (S702).

Also, the mobile terminal according to the present invention receivesand sets information about the food, for example, an expiration date,etc. from the user through the manipulating unit and stores the setinformation in the storage unit (S704).

Thereafter, when there is a display request from the user (S706), themobile terminal according to the present invention displays the foodimage and the food information through the display unit (S708).

On the other hand, the mobile terminal according to the presentinvention may check an alarm time corresponding to the set expirationdate of the food (S710) and output a corresponding alarm message throughthe alarm output module when the alarm time is reached (S712).

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of the controlmethod using the mobile terminal when the home appliance is therefrigerator, according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the mobile terminal according to the presentinvention may periodically receive door opening/closing information fromthe refrigerator through the short-range communication module (S802).

Also, the mobile terminal according to the present invention may check adoor opening/closing history for a preset period of time (for example,one week) with reference to the received door opening/closinginformation (S804).

Also, the mobile terminal may determine whether there is no dooropening/closing for the preset time period (S806), and transmit anotification message to a preset different mobile terminal when there isno door opening/closing for the preset time period (S808). Therefore,the safety of, for example, an elderly person who lives alone may beconfirmed by another person such as his/her children. In addition, thenotification message may be displayed on the present mobile terminal.

On the other hand, the present invention may be implemented in arecording medium readable by a processor provided in the mobile terminalby codes readable by the processor. The processor-readable recordingmedium may include all types of recording media in which data readableby the processor can be stored. For example, the processor-readablerecording medium may include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, afloppy disk, an optical data storage, or the like.

As is apparent from the above description, a mobile terminal accordingto the present invention may provide customized recommended operationinformation for each home appliance without separately including adevice for controlling one or more home appliances.

Further, the mobile terminal may provide information about foods storedin a refrigerator among home appliances.

Moreover, the mobile terminal may selectively control any one of aplurality of home appliances.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile terminal, comprising: a wireless communication unit for collecting external information or transmitting recommended operation information to at least one home appliance, the wireless communication unit comprising: a GPS module that receives location information; and a mobile communication module that transmits and receives voice call signals; an output unit, comprising: an audio output module configured to output an audio signal processed by the mobile terminal; and a display configured to output a video signal processed by the mobile terminal; an input unit configured to receive at least one of an audio input or a video input, the input unit comprising a microphone module configured to receive an external audio input in a call mode of the mobile terminal and convert the received external audio input into audio data; an interface unit that provides for communication between the mobile terminal and one or more external devices; and a controller for generating the recommended operation information for the at least one home appliance based on the collected external information, wherein the at least one home appliance comprises a washing machine, and wherein the controller generates recommended operation information for the washing machine based on the external information, the external information comprising image information of laundry to be treated by the washing machine and at least one of weather information, time information, season information, outdoor temperature information, indoor temperature information, or indoor humidity information.
 2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the display displays the generated recommended operation information.
 3. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the at least one home appliance comprises a plurality of home appliances, and wherein the display displays a home appliance selection picture for selection of any one of the plurality of home appliances.
 4. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the external information is collected through user input or is prestored in the mobile terminal.
 5. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit receives state information of the at least one home appliance from the at least one home appliance.
 6. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the at least one home appliance comprises the washing machine and at least one of an air conditioner, a refrigerator, or a stereo.
 7. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the external information further comprises resident information comprising at least one of a number of residents or a location and motion of each of the residents.
 8. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the input unit further comprises a camera unit for collecting image information.
 9. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the at least one home appliance comprises a plurality of home appliances, and wherein the display displays a home appliance selection picture comprising one or more home appliance images, wherein the controller controls the display to, when a specific one of the one or more home appliance images is selected, display the selected home appliance image so as to distinguish the selected home appliance from the other home appliance images.
 10. A mobile terminal, comprising: a wireless communication unit for collecting external information or transmitting recommended operation information to at least one home appliance, the wireless communication unit comprising: a GPS module that receives location information; and a mobile communication module that transmits and receives voice call signals; an output unit, comprising: an audio output module configured to output an audio signal processed by the mobile terminal; and a display configured to output a video signal processed by the mobile terminal; an input unit configured to receive at least one of an audio input or a video input, the input unit comprising a microphone module configured to receive an external audio input in a call mode of the mobile terminal and convert the received external audio input into audio data; an interface unit that provides for communication between the mobile terminal and one or more external devices; and a controller for generating the recommended operation information for the at least one home appliance based on the collected external information, wherein the at least one home appliance comprises a refrigerator, and wherein the wireless communication unit receives door opening/closing information of the refrigerator, and wherein the controller generates the recommended operation information for the refrigerator based on the door opening/closing information and the external info nation, the external information comprising at least one of weather information, time information, season information, outdoor temperature information, indoor temperature information or indoor humidity information.
 11. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein the input unit further comprises: a camera unit for collecting images of items stored in the refrigerator, wherein the controller generates food information related to the items stored in the refrigerator based on the collected images and the display displays the generated food information on a screen.
 12. The mobile terminal according to claim 11, wherein the controller controls the display to display an alarm message based on at least one of the door opening/closing information of the refrigerator or the food information.
 13. The mobile terminal according to claim 11, wherein the food information comprises at least one of an image, name, current date, storage date, elapsed period, expiration date or barcode information of a selected one of the items stored in the refrigerator. 